Fastening device for dog-collars



(No Model.)

W. C. GUNN. PASTENING DEVICE FOR DOG GOLLARS.

i Hmmllmll{@Ifllliifilllllill1M!lllllllllllllllllllllllUH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER C. GUNN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR DOG-COLLARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,551, dated June 18, 1889.

Application filed December 8, 1888. Serial No. 293,037. (No model.)

.T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALTER C. GUNN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices for Dog-Collars, of which the following is a speci iication.

This invention relates to improvements in strap-fasteners for seeurin g together the meeting ends of a strap, and in which heretofore one or both ends of the strap have been free to dangle, and thus render unsightly the objects which it is designed to fasten.

The prime object of this invention is -to rigidly maintain the extreme ends of an adjustable strap in close relation to the body of the strap, whereby in effect the strap shall have all of the characteristics, as to continuity and smoothness in wear, common to Straps having said extreme ends permanently sewed or pasted, while at the same time having said ends easily adjustable and capable of being securely7 locked in their' operative position.

Another object is a strap-fastener adapted to be secured to one and the extreme end of a strap, securely loch the strap in any of its adjustments, and at the same time serve as a guide and support for the other end of the strap when adjusted and fastened, whereby the accidental shifting of the strap from the fastener is effect-ually avoided, both when the strap is slack or the thing encompassed is of less diameter than the strap, thereby adapting the fastener for various uses not contemplated by the ordinary strap-fastener, all as hereinafter described.

A further object is a guard preventing twigs and anything causing an accidental withdrawal of the locking-bolt from its operative and norma-l position, and to have such a construction and relative arrangement of said guard and the lockingbolt that a padlocklink attached to the guard will prevent the unintentional withdrawal of the said locking bolt.

These objects are attained by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l represents a perspective view of a strapfastener embodying my invention in its operative position upon a substantially endless strap especially designed for use as a dog-collar; Fig. 2, a transverse section through the fastener and longitudinally of the strap, with a locking bolt or pin and its actuatingspring shown in side elevation; Fig. 3, a plan View showinga modified form of the fastener and devices for securing the free ends of the strap, and Fig. 4: a side elevation thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates an ordinary leather or other strap, which may have the circular form shown in Figure l, or be of any other formsueh, for example, as a harness-trace, shawl, or trunk strap, or any other strap in which it is desirable to adj ustably lock the strap ends. Embracing one end of said strap and secured thereto by means of rivets B, or any other suitable device, is the fastener C, consisting of a loop or bail D, lying in a planeb elow the strap end, and a hollow casing E, in which is located a spiral spring F, sleeved upon a bolt or pin G, and confined between a washer or pin H, attached to the bolt, near the lower end thereof, and the iiangesI upon the casing at the top constituting the upper bearing for the pin. The lower end of this pin projects down through the lower end of the casing tol or through the bail D, between which latter and the casing at a right angle to the bolt is passed the other end J of the. strap A, if a single strap be employed, or ofV the other strap, the end of which it is designed to be secured to the strap upon which the fastener is mounted. In this end J of the strap may be inserted at regular intervals a series of metallic eyelets K, through which the bolt will be projected, or simple perforations may be made in the strap, the former construction being preferred, because of the greater durability thereof. For convenience of m anipulation, the bolt may be provided on the upper end thereof, projecting through the casing, with a ring L, or a thumb-piece or some equivalent device, by means of which the tension of the spring controlling the bolt may be overcome, so that the latter may be Withdrawn from engagement with the eyelet and the end J of the strap shifted in the f astener. Projecting from the bail D is a guard D', arched directly over the outer end of the locking-bolt G, which guard may limit the withdrawal of said bolt, and in any event serves not only to prevent twigs and anything else accidently withdrawing the bolt, but for the attachment of the bail of apadlock, which, when attached, iills the space between the guard and bolt, and thereby locks the bolt against Withdrawal.

The extreme end of the part J beyond the fastener is held in close relation to the body of the strapA by means of a loop M, attached thereto and sliding upon the body of the strap, which may also constitute a handhold or furnish a means for attaching a chain or cord to the strap, if the latter is used for a dog-collar. This loop or hand-hold may be of any desired construction,andloose, as shown in the drawings in Fig. l, or provided with a cross-bar t-o fit closely to the body of the strap, as illustrated in the modifications, as described farther on, the purpose of this device being to both hold the ends of the strap in close relation to the body and to relieve the latter of a constant strain thereon at a single point, should the hand-hold or chainloop be iixedly attached directly thereto, I do not desire, however, to limit myself to the employment of any particular form of fastening device or hand-hold, so long` 4as the prime object of my invention is accomplished-namely, the maintaining of the meeting ends of the strap in close relation to each other or to the body of the strap-for, obviously, the same result might be accomplished in `various ways*for example, as shown in the modified construction represented in Figs. 3 and 4, the loop for the reception of the strap end J may lie above instead of below the point of attachment of the fastener to the strap A, and therefore lie between the strap and the fastening device, the end J in this instance being held in close relation to and Vlying upon the top of the end A by means of a loop N, depending from a metallic strip O, attached thereto, and perforated, as shown at l), for the reception of the lockingbolt. In this instance the hand-hold might be attached to the loop N, or, if employed as a trace-fastener,would be dispensed with entirely, as shown.

This fastener is of especial value when employed upon a dog-collar, for although the collar may iit the neck of the animal loosely, the peculiar construction of the fastener will maintain the ends of the collar in close relation, and the locking-bolt in engagement with the opposing end of the collar against` accidental shifting or displacing; but, obviously, such a fastener is equally adapted for use in connection with a shawl or trunk strap, a harness-trace,'or a strap used for any similar purpose, in which it is desirable that the meeting ends of the strap or straps may be adjustably fastened together' and the dangling of an unsecured end avoided.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a strap, one of the ends of which is provided with perforations, a frame, and alocking-bolton said frame engaging said perforations, said frame being secured to one of said ends and embracing the strap, and provided with an arched guard or stop extending over the outer end of said bolt, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a strap, one of the ends of which is provided with perforations, a fastener device, the frame of which is secured to one of said ends and embraces the other end, a locking-bolt sliding in said frame and engaging the perforations, and a loop or hand-hold secured to the other end, and with said end encircling the body of the strap, whereby the ends of said strap are maintained parallel with and against the` body of the strap in all of its adjustments,

substantially as described.

WALTER C. GUNN. Vitnesses:

W. R. OMoHUNDRo, A. M. BENNETT. 

